Wolseley School 511 Cli�on St. R3G 2X3

Winnipeg , MB

Phone: 204-783-3237

Fax: 204-775-6241

Email: smole@wsd1.org

Website: www.winnipegsd.ca/schools/wolseley

Principal, Suzanne Mole

October 2015 Newsle�er

Enjoying the

Peace Garden!

Wow, how time flies when you are learning and having fun! The students and staff have had a great start to the school year! Our classrooms are settled and busy with students learning and initial assessments and adventures are taking place. Students are enjoying an active lifestyle at Wolseley School with the beginning of our soccer team practises after school and our annual Terry Fox Run. Thank-you to Ms. Finch, and the rest of our staff for “kicking” off the year with sport, and volunteering their time to provide these extra activities.

It was nice to meet so many families at our Meet the Staff evening. Please feel free to drop in to the office anytime if you have any questions or concerns. As well there are many other opportunities for parents to get involved with our Wolseley School community. We invite you to take an active role in your child's education by joining our Parent Council or by volunteering in your child’s class.

Throughout the school year we will practice and reflect on our school safety procedures. We will have fire, evacuation and lock down drills to ensure everyone’s safety in the case of an emergency. Some of these will be planned and the students will be prepared in advance, and later when the procedures have been practised thoroughly there will be surprise drills. Being prepared for an emergency, and knowing how to respond appropriately and calmly should one occur, helps to reassure frightened students. If your child mentions any anxiety about these drills please talk to your child's teacher so that you can work together to build your child's confidence in these situations. Information on these drills is available in the school office. Suzanne Mole

Principal’s message� Child Guidance Corner�

Mindful Moments

Wolseley school will be slowly introducing mindfulness to its students. Each newsletter will provide parents with information about mindfulness and exercises to experience.

"Mindfulness is the awareness that emerges when we pay attention to our present moment experiences with curiosity, kindness, and non-judgment. This type of awareness is promoted through formal and informal practices, such as body/breath awareness and mindful eating exercises. Emerging neuro-scientific, medical, and psychological research supports training in mindfulness as an avenue to health and well-being in the general population and in schools, for both children and adults. Mindfulness promotes cognitive flexibility and creative responding, enabling participants to step out of automatic ways of reacting, and embrace life in the present in healthy and adaptive ways. Research has shown mindfulness can lead to improvements in learning, academic engagement, self-management of emotions, behaviour, and attention, self-esteem, self-efficacy, interpersonal skill and relationships, and physical and psychological health (e.g. reduced symptoms of depression/anxiety, burnout), making it relevant to families and schools (Katherine Thom, 2015)."

Those who regularly practise mindfulness report that they can learn to focus their attention and experience events with a more open mindedness and less judgemental. The core practices of mindful exercises are similar; with learners being encouraged to be open minded and observe their experiences.

Take a moment right now to try this. Check your watch and note the time. For the next 60 seconds your task is to focus all your attention on your breathing. It’s just for one minute, but it can seem like an eternity. Leave your eyes open and breathe normally. Be ready to catch your mind from wandering off (because it will) and return your attention to your breath whenever it does so. Keep in mind that this mindfulness exercise is not a contest or a personal challenge. You can’t fail at this exercise, you can only experience it. Use this exercise many times throughout the day to restore your mind to the present moment and to restore your mind to clarity and calmness. Over time, you can gradually extend the duration of this exercise into longer and longer periods.

Classroom News �

Room 17 AM N/K

So far in room 17 we are getting to know each other and getting used to our new classroom. Already the students are getting settled into the routines and learning new poems and songs. We have begun our unit on trees and have made trees using print making. We are looking forward to an action packed year. Jackie Ross Blondeau

Room 17 Grades N / K

Welcome to a new year in Room 1! Building a safe and caring classroom community is our main focus at the beginning of the year. We have been getting to know new classmates and important routines. Every morning we begin by sitting in a circle and greeting each other. Then we add to our Counting the Days of School Calendar. This daily routine helps children learn about number patterns. We have already filled our first ten days. We have been sorting shapes and building repeating patterns. We have also been enjoying the beautiful weather and exploring our wonderful school garden. We went on a nature scavenger hunt, examined the trees for similarities and differences, and completed an ABC in the garden chart. We observed a busy bee in a squash flower and will be learning more about honeybees.

Lora Schroeder

Room 1 Grades 1 / 2

We are learning and settling into routines nicely, and there are many for grade ones! Developing our classroom community is one of the most important things we do, as it pays off in so many ways. I like to do a Kevin Henkes study because the characters depict feelings and problem solving so well. This is a spring-board for both literature and classroom community. Our home reading has started. We are currently looking at life cycles and seasons, starting with frogs and exploring our garden. Leaf prints and math games are a couple of recent activities. We welcome our student teacher Kathleen. Another newcomer is our African aquatic frog. We look forward to a great year together.

Kathy Epps

Room 2 Grades 1 / 2

Photo Consent Forms

Please insure you return the blue informed consent forms with the publish or display box checked yes so that your children can have their picture in the newsletter. Many great photos were not able to be put in the newsletter this month because we did not have consent.

Welcome back Room 8 Families! Our first month of school is coming to a close already! We are continuing to establish some new routines and getting to know our new friends. Our themes for inquiry this term are Canada and animal habi-tats. Please be on the lookout for items coming home as we have begun T.W.A.S. and Home reading. Your participation in these programs is crucial for your child's success. If you have any questions please don't contact us. We look forward to a great year!

Jill Fox and Tracy Fish

Welcome back! It was so nice to see new faces and returning parents and children at ”Meet the teacher “. September has just

flown by and Room 3 has been very busy. We have begun to study place val-ue with the operations of addition, subtrac-tion, multiplication and division. In science we are investigating nutrition. We are look-ing at the substance of foods, concentrating on proteins, carbohydrates (starches and sugars) and fats (lipids).

We're excited, along with a few other classes in the school, to participate in the Student Vote program where students will get to expe-rience what it's like to vote in our Federal election. We have already started learning about our government in Canada and will be taking a closer look at our rights and respon-sibilities as Canadians, our political parties, the leaders and then exercise our right to vote. Schools across Canada are participat-ing in the program, so it is almost like the real thing! The results will be announced right after the election. In class, students have also been listening and responding to the 2016 MYRCA (Manitoba Young Reader's Choice Awards) nominee "The Elevator Ghost" by Glen Huser. We also have a new challenge this year in Room 3 and that is to read 40 books by the end of June! Talk to your child (or myself, Vanessa) for more info. Please encourage your child to continue to read at least 15-20 minutes at home daily to help them reach this challenge. Thanks Cam Menzie & Vanessa Wiehler

Classroom News Continued�

Room 8 Grades 3 / 4

The grade three and four community in Room 9 has begun the year learning about Multiple Intelligences. We know we are all smart and now we are figuring out what type of smart we are! We are also learning about our brain, how it works and how different parts of our brain help us learn! We are going to use what we learn to help set goals for our learning this school year! Our community is also learning about elections and the democratic process! It’s great to see how many families are talking about elections at home, it gives the students prior knowledge and a place to learn from. The year has taken off with excitement to learn! Thanks to all the families for being so welcoming, I appreciate all the support!

Janet Ledger

Room 9 Grades 3 / 4

Room 3 Grades 5 / 6

In room ten in the afternoon, we have been hard at work already. We are reading The Hobbit as a class, we are also learning the song "Far Over the Misty Mountains" from it. We have had our first TUSC meeting and it was a success! We are totally settled into our routines and are getting along nicely. We are looking forward to an exciting year. In Math we are working on numbers as well as place value as it pertains to whole numbers and decimals as well as scientific notation. We are looking at moving from these concepts into number operations and estimation strategies.

In Science, we are studying nutrition and moving into a discussion of nutrients and elements that form the foundation for building blocks of living and non-living matter.

In Social Studies, we are currently studying the concept of government within a primarily Canadian context, looking at various levels and structures of government, as well as major political parties in Canada. Students will be engaging in their own elections in keeping with the current Federal Elections through studentvote.ca and many rich activities and discussions have centered around this topic. Shahram & Jackie

Classroom News Continued�

I am pleased to have the opportunity to spend another year with the wonderful Wolseley students! The excitement and enthusiasm generated by all classes is a music teacher’s reward!! Keeping a steady beat provides a solid foundation for future music making and we started the new school year with a “bang’ Boomwhackers and Djembes resonated throughout primary and intermediate classes; nursery and kindergarten classes practiced moving to a variety of drumbeats. Throughout the year, we will build on these skills with singing, rhythmic notation and recognition, recorder and instrument playing and note recognition. All students in rooms 3,8,9 and 10 will be learning these skills using recorder technique, so it is imperative that everyone owns a recorder. Recorder club will begin in October (day 2, noon) for those students who wish to play more challenging selections. We are fortunate to have 3 choirs this year. Grades 1 and 2, grades 3 and 4, and grades 5 and 6 choirs have begun! Watch for performances throughout the year!! Mrs. P Claeys, Music teacher “Without music, life would be a mistake" Friedrich Nietzche

Room 10 Grades 5 / 6 Music

Can

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eese

.

Coming up in October:

• Girls soccer tournament Wed Oct 14th PM at Tec Voc.

• Boys soccer tournament Fri Oct 16th AM at Tec Voc.

Recess leaders will begin in mid October.

Halloween gym will be Wed Oct 28th all day.

Volleyball for grades 3&4’s and 5&6’s will begin late October.

Please remind students to have indoor and outdoor shoes. Proper running shoes with non marking soles are required in the gym.

Jen Finch

Physical Education

September was a busy month with lots of activities everywhere. We now have two Music Therapy groups where the children learned back to school and fun fall songs as well as playing different instruments and watching leaves fly into the air with the help of a parachute. The small language experience groups also started out having fun with an ongoing Fall unit including learning about apples trees and making applesauce. The younger students had fun learning about trains - All aboard! The Adapted Phys. Ed. program has started with a smaller group to encourage movement and extra practice of skills. More activities are yet to come so stay tuned for more news!

Margaret Moar

Bicycles/Skateboards at the School: If you are bringing a bike or skateboard to school we ask you to please dismount before entering the playground and lock all bicycles in the bike cage. Please do not ride your bicy-cles, skateboards or scooters on school property between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.

No riding skateboards, scooters or bikes on

school grounds

Room 21 Adapted Skills

Overdue School Classroom

Fees

Reminder that School Fees are now past due.. The fee is $55.00 for grades 1-6 and $15.00 for Nursery / Kindergarten and covers all school supplies for the year. If you are paying by cheque, please make the cheque payable to Wolseley School. Submit your fees to your child’s class-room teacher. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.

Classroom News Continued�

Parent Council News � PIZZA LUNCHES Thank you to Jen Davis and Eveline Buehlman for once again co-ordinating pizza lunches! Besides providing a hot pizza lunch for students once a month, this is the primary fundraiser that parent council does to create enough revenue to cover our budget. There is no pre-order form. Prices are $2.50/slice or 3 slices for $6.50. N/K students and their care givers are welcome to participate by coming to the gym at 11:30. Grade 1 - 6 students will eat in the gym at 12 noon. All students are welcome to stay for pizza lunches. The next pizza lunches will be: • Friday, Oct 2nd • Friday, Nov 6th • Friday, Dec 11th

CLASS LISTS Due to privacy laws Parent Council is only able to put your child's name on a class list if you give us permission to do so. It is most helpful if you are choosing to opt out providing this information, that you also confirm your decision. This helps us ensure that we have not accidentally forgotten anyone! There is a total number of students at the bottom of the list so you will know how many students are in the class if you are sending treats or snacks for special events. Class lists will be ready for the first PC meeting (Oct 14th).

PEACE GARDEN NEWS Thank you to Rebecca Peech and the Peace Garden committee for all their work this past year. It is beautiful to see the poured surface and extra garden boxes.

FARM TO SCHOOL Once again the Peace Garden committee is organizing the Farm to School vegetable fundraiser. The purpose of running this fundraiser is to help with planting some shrubs, trees and sensory items to complete Phase 2 of the Peace Garden. Please note: • Bundle A = $10 (carrots, onions, potatoes) • Bundle B = $20 (carrots, parsnips, onions potatoes & cabbage) • Order forms due: Monday, October 19th • Delivery date: Friday, October 30th 2015 – 2016 WOLSELEY SCHOOL PARENT COUNCIL Thanks to all those who came out to the AGM on Wednesday, September 23rd. The council is as follows: • Chair - Rebecca Peech

⇒ she would like to co-chair with someone • Treasurer - Sebastien DeLazzer • Vice Chair - vacant • Secretary - vacant • Pizza Lunch Chairs - Eveline Buehlmann & Jen Davis • Peace Garden Chair - Rebecca Peech • Grade 6 Farewell Chair - TBA

⇒ If you would like to be part of this planning team, please let Suzanne know. • Room Rep Coordinator - Jenn Forster • Room 1 Rep - Sarah Macdougall • Room 2 Rep - Jodi Hildebrand • Room 3 Rep - Adele Perry • Room 8 Rep - vacant • Room 9 Rep - Sarah Piche • Room 10 Rep - Lisa Hagen-Smith • Room 17 Rep - Theresa Epp • Central District Advisory Rep - Marla Friesen If you or someone you know would like to find out more about the vacant opportunities, please email Rebecca Peech

(rpeech0523@gmail.com) or the PC email address (wolseley.parents@gmail.com). Thank you to the following people who have served the maximum 3 consecutive years in one position: • Brenda Froese - secretary • Eileen May - room rep • Brad & Coleen Unger - room rep • Marla Friesen - chair Next Parent Council meeting: Wednesday, October 14th at 6:30 pm (childcare provided in the library)

1 Day 6

Girls soccer

3:30-4:20

Playgroup

9-11:30

2 Day 1

Pizza Lunch

5 Day 2

Picture Day

Boys Soccer

3:30-4:20

Patrol Team 4

6 Day 3 7 Day 4

Bus Ridership AM

Girls soccer

3:30-4:20

Grade 6 Girls

Immunizations

8 Day 5

Boys Soccer

3:30-4:20

Playgroup

9-11:30

9 Day 6

12

Thanksgiving

Patrol Team 1

13 Day 1 14 Day 2

Girls Soccer

Tournament PM

Tec Voc School

15 Day 3

Playgroup

9-11:30

16 Day 4

Boys Soccer

Tournament AM

Tec Voc School

Girls Soccer Rain

Date PM

19 Day 5

Peak of the

Market order

forms due

20 Day 6

Boys Soccer Rain

date AM

21 Day 1 22 Day 2

Playgroup

9-11:30

23 Day 3

No School/No

Classes

26 Day 4

Patrol Team 3

27 Day 5 28 Day 6 29 Day 1

Playgroup

9-11:30

30 Day 2

Peak of the

Market

pick up

October 2015

Dates to Remember in November:

November 2 Picture Retakes AM November 6 Pizza Lunch November 11 Remembrance Day No School November 19 Student Led Conferences Evening November 20 Student Led Conferences Morning November 20 No School Non-Instructional Day November 24 - 26 Hearing Screening Test